Devices responsive to fracture of a frangible member



E. HOOPER Aug. 21, 1962 DEVICES RESPONSIVE TO FRACTURE OF A FRANGIBLEMEMBER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 8, 1961 INVENTORi 'Zdward Hoop rATTORNEYS FIG. I

Aug. 21, 1962 E. HOOPER 3,050,272

DEVICES RESPONSIVE T0 FRACTURE OF A FRANGIBLE MEMBER Filed March 8, 19614 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Edward Hooper ATTORNEYS Aug. 21, 1962 E.HOOPER 3,050,272

DEVICES RESPONSIVE TO FRACTURE OF A FRANGIBLE MEMBER Filed March 8, 19614 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 4.

INVENTOR: l dward Haw Jer- 2 AT TOR NE'YS Aug. 21, 1962 E. HOOPER3,050,272

DEVICES RESPONSIVE TO FRACTURE OF A FRANGIBLE MEMBER Filed March 8, 19614 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR: ,Fdward Hooper I FIG. 5. BY

, 3,050,272 DEVICES RESPONSIVE T FRACTURE OF A FRANGIBLE MEMBER EdwardHooper, South Shields, England, assignor of onehalf to Aero 8:Engineering (Merseyside) Limited, Wirral, England Filed Mar. 8, 1961,Ser. No. 94,215 Claims priority, application Great Britain Apr. 22, 19608 Claims. (Cl. 242-86) This invention is for improvements in or relatingto devices responsive to fracture of a frangible member.

One particular application of the invention, which is mentioned by wayof example, is to a device for looking a hose reel against rotation,release of the hose reel being elfected by breaking the frangiblemember. A device of this character is especially applicable to the hosereel forming the subject matter of United States application for Patent851,686. This hose reel embodies a valve means controlling the supply ofwater or other fluid to the hose, the valve being opened automaticallyby rotation of the reel as the hose is run out therefrom. The deviceaccording to the present invention prevents or at least inhibitsunauthorized or accidental rotation of the reel. It will be appreciatedthat this is important in many places such .as schools, where childrenare likely to tamper with the hose and unless the reel is locked couldcause flooding due to opening of the valve. At the same time it must bepossible to unlock the reel quickly when necessary and without having tosearch for a key. The present invention meets this requirement.

According to the present invention there is provided a device comprisinga movable member and a frangible member, or a support for a frangiblemember, against which frangible member the movable member is urged (e.g.by a spring), fracture of the frangible member permitting said movablemember to move.

According to a further feature of the present invention there isprovided a locking device comprising a movable member having a partadapted to engage the device to be locked and bearing or adapted to bear(e.g. under the action of a spring) against a frangible member whichholds the locking member in the locking position.

In applying a device according to the present invention to the lockingof a hose reel the locking member may have a turned-over or otherwiseshaped end adapted to en age in a hole or one of a series of holes in aflange of the hose reel. When the frangible means is broken the springacts on the locking member so as to dis-engage it from the hole in thehose reel and the latter is then free to rotate. Alternatively oradditionally breaking of the frangible means may cause the movement of amember adapted to operate a switch to cause, for example, the soundingof an alarm and/or operation of a signal light or starting of a pump.

One particular embodiment of the invention will now be described by wayof example with reference to the accompanying drawings and as applied toa locking device for the hose reel as described in the specifications ofour aforementioned patent applications. On the drawmgs:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the device,

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevation,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view on the line III-III of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is a face view showing an actual application of the device tothe hose reel,

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of FIGURE 4 and,

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of FIGURE 4.

Referring first to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings the devicecomprises a casing 10 the front 11 of which is provided with an opening12.

3,@5@,Z7Z Patented Aug. 21, 1962 The front '11 slidably supports, oneabove the other and edge to edge, two sheets of glass 13a, and 13b thesheet 13a lying behind and closing the opening 12.

Pivotally supported, between lugs 14 on the upper part of the casing, isa locking lever 15a, 15b. The shorter arm 15a of this locking lever isfitted with a hollow stud 16 having a domed head 17. The stud 16 housesa compression spring 18 which acts to urge the arm 15a of the leverforwardly. This movement is prevented, however, by the domed head 17bearing against the sheet of glass 13a. The stud 16 is screw threaded sothat its domed head can be adjusted towards or away from the arm 15a.

The arm 15b of the lever has a bent-over end 19 which projects into oneof a series of clearance holes 20- in the reel 21 so as to lock the reelagainst rotation. Six such holes are shown on the drawing but there maybe more or less than six.

The casing 10 is mounted on a bracket 22 adapted to be secured to, forexample, a wall by a rag bolt or the like 23 as shown in FIGURE 5.Conveniently the bolt 23 is one of the bolts which serves to secure thereel supporting spider 25 to a Wall or the like.

A spring tongue 26- mounted on the arm 15b, lies over an opening 27 atthe upper part of the front plate 11 through which the sheets of glass13a and 13b are slid into said front plate. This serves at least todiscourage unauthorised removal of the sheets of glass.

When the hose is required for use, as on the occurence of a fire, thesheet of glass 13a is broken e.g. by striking it with the hose nozzle oranother convenient weapon or implement and this allows the arms 15a ofthe lever to move forwardly into the position shown in dotted lines, inFIGURE 3, and the arm 15!) to move rearwardly so as to disengage its end19 from the hole 20 in the reel 21. The reel is then free to rotate andthe hose can be drawn off it which results in the water control valvebeing opened as described in the specifications of our aforementionedapplications for patent.

After the hose has been wound back on to the reel all that is necessaryto re-lock the reel is to bring one of the holes 20 in it into registerwith the end 19 of the lever and then manipulate the lever 15a, 15bmanually into the position shown in full lines in FIGURE 3 and removeany remaining fragments of the sheet of glass 13a. The spare sheet ofglass 13b will then drop automatically into the position previouslyoccupied by the sheet 13a and thus hold the device in the reel-lockingposition. A new spare sheet of glass 13b is then located in the deviceat the earliest opportunity.

In the particular arrangement shown in FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 the casing 10,11 is embodied in a plate 10a which also carries clips 28 and 29 forsupporting the nozzle 30 of the hose 31. The plate 10 is secured to thewall by rag bolts or the like 24.

In addition to releasing the reel the movement of the lever 15a, 15b maybe caused to operate a switch (e.g. a micro-switch) 32 located in thecasing 10, see FIGURE 3, which causes the sounding of an alarm and/orthe operation of a visual signal to give a warning that a fire has beendetected and the hose is being brought into use. This switch oradditional switch sensitive to movement of the lever 15a, 15b may alsobring a booster pump into openation for supplying water to the hose.

The particular micro-switch shown on the drawing is held in the open or011" position by depression of its operating member, forward movement ofthe arm 15a, when the glass is broken, allowing the switch to close ormove to the On position. A separate hand operated switch may be providedfor switching off the alarm after it has fulfilled its function.

Whilst the invention has been described more particularly as applied toa locking device for a hose reel it is applicable generally tosituations where a device is required which by the mere breaking of afrangible member can be caused to carry out or initiate a particularoperation or a number of operations.

I claim:

1. In a combination a fire-hose reel having a lockingbolt engagingmeans, means for supporting said hose reel for rotation, a reel lockingbolt, means supporting said locking bolt for movement into and out ofengagement with said locking-bolt engaging means of the reel, biasingmeans urging said locking bolt out of engagement with said locking-boltengaging means of the reel and a frangi ble member holding the lockingbolt in engagement with said bolt engaging means against the action ofsaid biasing means so long as the frangible member is unbroken.

2. In a combination a fire-hose reel having at least one hole forengagement by a locking lever, means supporting said hose reel forrotation, a reel locking lever having one of its ends operative toengage in said hole in the reel, spring means acting on the other end ofsaid lever and urging the locking end thereof out of engagement withsaid hole and a frangible member holding the locking bolt in engagementwith said hole against the action of said spring so long as thefrangible member is unbroken.

3. In combination a fire-hose reel having a hole for engagement by alocking lever, means supporting said hose reel for rotation, a reellocking lever having one of its ends operative 'to engage in said holein the reel, spring means acting on the other end of said lever andurging the locking end of said lever out of engagement with said hole,an adjustable stud in the end of the lever remote from said locking endthereof and a frangible member against which said adjustable stud bearsto hold the locking bolt in engagement with said hole against the actionof said spring so long as the frangible member is unbroken.

4. In combination a fire-hose reel having a lock bolt engaging means,means supporting said hose reel for rotation, a reel locking-bolt, meanssupporting said locking bolt for movement into and out of engagementwith said locking-bolt engaging means of the reel, biasing means urgingsaid locking-bolt out of engagement with said locking-bolt engagingmeans of the reel, means slidably sup porting two frangible plates edgeto edge one above the other the lower of said plates being engaged bysaid locking bolt and holding the locking bolt in engagement with saidbolt engaging means against the action of said biasing means so long assaid lower frangible plate is unbroken, fracture of said lower frangibleplate permitting the locking bolt to move out of locking engagement withthe bolt engaging means of the reel and the other frangible plate, whenthe locking bolt is moved back into its reel hole for engagement by alocking lever, means supporting said hose reel for rotation, a reellocking lever having one of its ends operative to engage in said hole inthe reel, spring means acting on the other end of said lever and urgingthe locking end of said locking lever out of engagement with said hole,means slidably supporting two frangible plates edge to edge one abovethe other the lower of said plates holding the locking lever in lockingengagement with the hole in the reel so long as said lower frangibleplate is unbroken, fracture of said lower plate permitting the lockinglever to move out of locking engagement with the hole in the reel andthe upper frangible plate, when the locking lever is moved back into itsreel locking position against the action of said spring means, slidinginto the lower position in which it replaces the broken plate andbecomes operative to hold the locking lever in its reel lockingposition.

6. The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein there is provided meanswhich slidably receives the frangible member and a guard is providedwhich interferes with removal of the frangible member.

7. The combination claimed in claim 4 wherein a guard is provided overthe upper edgeof the upper frangible member to interfere with withdrawalthereof.

8. The combination claimed in claim 2 and further comprising an electricswitch which is held in an open position by the locking lever when thelatter is in locking engagement with the reel and is caused to move intoa closed position when the frangible member is broken and the lockinglever moves into its reel release position.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS992,633 Auth a May 16, 1911 999,641 Fuerst Aug. 1, 1911 2,030,799Parsons Feb. 11, 1936 2,083,324 Edwards June 8, 1937 2,553,244 EllmannMay 15, 1951 2,776,644 Fontaine Jan. 8, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,562 GreatBritain of 1901

